Boarding School Memories
by Dr Who Fax
Summary: Maximum Martinez and Nick Ride both head to the same boarding school in California. They've never met before... or have they? They meet the Flock, and others. Yeah, yeah, clique, whatever. Just... R&R? Rated T for swearing and minor violence. Crappy ending. Sorry.
1. Chapter 1

**Sup? Right, so my second story. Let's see...**

_Maximum Martinez and Nick Ride both head to the same boarding school in California. They've never met before... or have they? Yeah, yeah, clique, whatever. Just... R&R? Rated T for swearing and minor violence._

**Enjoy.**

Max's POV

I was rudely awoken from my dream by my little sister, Ella. I groaned and threw a pillow at her.

"I'm telling Mom!" Ella screamed, dashing out of my room. I sat up, trying to recall my dream. I was... flying? Not on a plane, but in the open sky. I looked to my right in my dream and saw a boy, about my age. He wore all black, but his face was blurred. Wings sprouted from his back and he flew gracefully. But, I wasn't surprised by the sight. I felt my own wings move, and suddenly, I fell. I was falling. Then Ella woke me up.

I got up and stretched. It was just a dream. Just to be sure, I checked my back in the mirror. Nope. Smooth, tanned skin. No wings. What a shame.

I pulled on tight jeans and a blue tank top and ran my fingers through my hair. I wasn't really into the whole 15-year-old girly-girl thing, makeup and such. I was more sporty.

"Max, did you throw something at Ella?" my Mom demanded. Ella was sitting at the table, holding a hand over her eye. Drama queen. I sat down and helped myself to a giant plateful of bacon and eggs. I have a huge appetite, though I somehow never gain weight.

"Yup, a pillow." I sneered at Ella and shoveled food in my mouth.

"Gods, Max, take breaths when you eat!" Mom scolded me. Ella smirked at me and Mom took the chance to knock Ella's hand away from her eye. It was smooth, no mark. I mean, I threw a freaking _pillow _at her. And I don't know about you freaks, but I like my pillows soft and nonlethal. Mom sighed.

"Girls, can't you get along, just once?" Unknown to her, Ella and I were actually really close, but we hid it. I don't want to appear to be attached to her because of-

_CRASH. _Jeb stumbled downstairs, a mostly empty bottle of whiskey clutched in his right hand. The left was uselessly grasping at the handrail. He tripped into the kitchen and Mom went to help him up. He clung onto her, trying to grope her and trying to stand at the same time.

You need background information. I'm sorry. I'm Maximum Martinez, 15, female, 5'9", 98 lbs. I've got long, dirty blonde hair and I'm skinny, though I don't look like it. I'm not a bulimic or anorexic or anything, I'm just skinny. Ella tells me I'm really pretty, but seriously? I don't think so. I'm a kickass fighter, though, so don't cross me. I speak English (no really?) and sarcasm fluently.

Ella Martinez, 14, brown hair, brown eyes (like mine), 5'5", sweet smile and a girly-girl. I still love her, though. She wears makeup regularly and straightens her hair. She's a drama queen, and a wimp when it comes to roughhousing and fighting. Me? I love the adrenaline rush, though I don't purposely pick fights. They just happen often. I swear, if Ella was anything like me, my mom would live in the principle's office.

We're total opposites, yet we get along great when our parents aren't around. Jeb is the reason we're at each other's throats all the time, though. He's a major alcoholic, though Mom stays with him for some reason. He sometimes hurts us mentally, taking away what we treasure most. He stole Mom's heirlooms and destroyed anything relating to the time before they were married. He even burned her favorite stuffed animal, which is messed up. He sold my grandmother's wedding ring and earrings from Ella, which crushed her. We learned not to get attached to things, or people even. My very first boyfriend. Two days after I brought him over for dinner, he disappeared. I later found his favorite shell necklace in Jeb's room.

Anyways. Mom helped Jeb into a chair and he whacked her butt. Ella tried not to flinch and I gripped my fork so tight it started bending. Mom didn't do anything about it, just set a plate in front of Jeb and tried prying the bottle from his fat fingers. Jeb clung onto it, holding it to his chest.

"Jeb, honey, what did we say about drinking before breakfast?" Jeb scowled and released the bottle. Then he said in a not-too-subtle whisper, "Fine! But you'd better make it up to me tonight, or else!" Ella and I were both old enough to know what he meant.

Jeb turned to me, with a wicked smile on his face. "Maxie," he slurred. "Valencia (my Mom) and I have signed you up for a boarding school in California. You leave tomorrow, get packing! And don't think about skipping school today, even if it's your last day!" I gaped at him. Jeb didn't make empty threats.

"What, why?" I asked. "What have I done?" Jeb clearly didn't like being talked back to.

"Listen, brat!" he snarled. "I've had enough of you, your wisecracks and rebelliousness. You should be thankful anyone is willing to have you. You're nothing but a wannabe rebel who can't survive a day on her own!"

I looked to Mom, but she just nodded, tears pouring down her face. Ella starting crying silently, and Jeb sat back, satisfied with his work. I got up and pulled a suitcase out of the garage and started packing before I had to leave for school.

I looked out my window, praying I didn't have to go. I loved Arizona, and everything about it. The open spaces. The clear, unpolluted sky. Arizona was my home, even if the people here weren't very nice.

**That's a wrap for now. Hope you liked it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Nick's POV

Oh goodie. A boarding school. My ridiculously young mom (she had me when we was 15 and smoking pot or something). I'm half her age now, she's 30. Do the math. Mom wants to go on a two-year trip to Paris to meet up with my father, and since he doesn't know I was born, I'm being sent to a freaking boarding school. In California. I dunno why, but the _school in California _gives me the creeps.

The name's Nick Ride, I live in Virginia. I'm not gonna lie, I'm attractive. I have a six-pack, going on eight. And according to several girls, I'm "hotter than Robert Pattinson!" Isn't he the gay fairy from Twilight? (**A/N: Sorry, twilight fans! Personally, I'm not a fan. I read the first three books, and watched a two-minute clip from the first movie. I nearly bashed my head into the wall because Anna Kendricks was calling Robert Pattinson hot. Seriously, people? He's not that attractive! Taylor Lautner is, though. Sorry, off topic.) **Whatever. I have a stalker here, her name is Lissa Dwyer. She's got unnatural red hair and every time she gets the chance, she sticks her tongue down my throat. I hate her.

Anyways, I handed the taxi driver $5 as a tip and unloaded my bags. All black. Did I mention I only wear black, or dark colors? Well, now ya know. I'm not emo or goth. Call me that and your body will never be found.

I opened the door to my dorm and found a pale boy with strawberry-blonde hair unpacking his stuff. He turned around and smiled at me. I instantly knew he was blind. I've never met anyone who was blind, but they way his pale blue eyes were clouded over and unfocused, it seemed natural.

"Sup, man? I'm James Griffiths. You must be Nick. Parents tired of you too, eh?" A jokester. I remained silent and went over to the empty bunk. James had keen ears and followed my movements perfectly. "Where are you from?"

I didn't answer. I'm not mute, I just don't like talking. Or showing emotion. James, thankfully, got the hint and backed off a little. I finished unpacking and there was a knock at the door. I looked over at James, who shrugged. I opened up the door only to find the most beautiful girl I've ever seen.

She had long blonde hair with brown streaks and warm brown eyes. She had curves in the right places, was tall, though I towered over her at 6'2". She didn't have a bit of makeup on her face, yet looked amazing. She had nice long legs and-

"Are you done checking me out?" she snapped. "Sexist pig," she muttered under her breath. I raised an eyebrow, wondering what she wanted. She had some luggage next to her, so she obviously wasn't going to show us around. "I'm lost," she sighed. "Can you tell me where the Kennedy Building is?"

I picked up a map I'd gotten when I arrived and handed it to her. She traced her finger over the map carefully.

"I'm Max," she said finally. James appeared behind me.

"You've got a girl already? Man, you're good!" James cackled, slapping me back. I glared at him, though it was wasted on his blindness.

"I needed directions, sexist pig!" Max snarled at him. James smiled at her.

"I'm James," he said, holding out a hand. Max shook it, looking unsure. "This is my roommate, Nick. I think. He never confirmed that." James eyes widened in mock horror. "He could be a terrorist, or an assassin!"

Max snorted. "James, I've known you for two minutes, and I already know you're not important enough for an assassin to be sent after you." I smirked.

"Are you mute? Yeah, put the blind guy and the mute in the same room, why don't you!" James rambled on.

"I'll walk you to your dorm," I spoke for the first time. Max winked at me and I felt my heart swell.

"He speaks!" James announced. I rolled my eyes and Max cracked a smile. I picked up my jacket and helped Max carry her stuff so I wouldn't look like a jerk.

"So, Nick. Where are you from?" Max asked.

"Virginia," I replied. Suddenly, a redhead attached herself to my lips, shoving ehr tongue down my throat. I gagged, my body attempting to double over, but only shoving myself closer to my molester. The redhead thought I liked it and kissed (if you could call it that) me harder. I shoved her away and spat on the ground.

"What the hell!" I snarled, my dark eyes blazing. "Who are you?" I locked eyes with her bright green ones. "Lissa?"

The Lissa-look-alike giggled. "No, silly! I'm Lissa's identical twin sister, Bridget!" Oh gods. There were _more _crazy Dwyer girls running around? Just what the world needs. Bridget moved in for another kiss.

I thought quickly and grabbed Max's hand. Max was stunned by the display of affection (if you could call it that) and didn't fight back. "Sorry, I already have a girlfriend!" I yelped, holding up mine and Max's intwined hands. Max looked just as surprised as Bridget, though a lot less angry.

"You're cheating on me, Nicky?" she squealed. "How dare you! I'll never trust men again! How could you?" she flounced off dramatically. Max tore her hand away.

"What was that?" she growled. I winced.

"Lissa was my stalker in Virginia, she thought I was her boyfriend. Now she has an identical twin sister who is equally crazy. I swear, I've never met Bridget before, though." Whoa. Too many words. Overload. Well, Max deserved an explanation.

"Okay, but we're not dating." Max grabbed her stuff and we walked the rest of the way in silence.

**Interesting. So, Max and Nick have met!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chp 3 Dylan and Dates (not what you think!)**

Max's POV

After Nick was assaulted by his old stalker's twin, we went to my dorm where I was met with an overly-enthusiastic hug.

"Ahh!" I yelled, backpedaling. My roommate detached herself from me and proceeded to check Nick out. That annoyed me for some reason. My roommate was African-American, with curly brown hair and mocha-colored skin.

"Hi! I'm Monique! You must be Max, my roommate! Hi! Who's this? He's hot, but not really my type. Is he your brother? You don't look alike. Is he your boyfriend? Ooh, Max! Workin' it already! Or did you know each other before? I mean, sometimes friends end up going to the same boarding school." She said that all in one breath.

"This is Nick, he showed me how to get here. No, he's not related or my boyfriend. I just met him. Did I get everything?" I tried to answer all her questions. Nick shoved his hands in his pockets and stood there awkwardly.

"Um, seeya," Nick muttered before leaving. Heartfelt person. But I had the feeling like I knew him. Weird.

**Line break! Yeah!**

Next day

I looked at my schedule and went into my first class. The teacher, Mr. Greene, smiled at me. I was late, and most of the seats were already taken.

"Hi, I'm Mr. Greene, you must be Ms. Martinez. You can sit over next to Mr. Ride." I frowned, scanning the class. Nobody was waving or anything, indicating that they were Mr. Ride. I heard Mr. Greene groan. "Mr. Ride, raise your hand." I hand came halfway up and I rolled my eyes and made my way over. I blinked when I saw who Mr. Ride was.

"Nick?" I asked. Nick looked at me and the edges of his lips curled up a millimeter. I sat down next to Nick Ride and pulled out my stuff. Mr. Greene told us it was a free period to mingle, so I turned to Nick.

"What's your schedule?" I asked, handing him mine. He scanned it quickly and handed it back, along with his own. My eyes flickered back and forth between the two papers. "We have all the same classes," I said. Nick nodded. "Do you ever talk?"

"I talked yesterday, didn't I?" Nick mumbled.

"What, do you have a word quota of the day? Like you can't say more than ten words a day or something?"

"60," Nick replied without missing a beat. "I said 55 words yesterday to you." Mentally, I counted the words he has said today.

"You're at 13 now." Nick nodded in agreement. "Why'd you use up so many of your words on me?" Nick shrugged. I was about to speak again, but a shadow fell over me and a large hand slammed down on my desk. A handsome face dropped down uncomfortably close to mine.

"Hey, I'm Dylan Gunther-Hagen. Who are you?" He gave me a blinding smile.

"Max," I muttered. Dylan plopped his butt down on my desk, smiling at me.

"Max, cool name! Is it short for Maxine?" he asked cheerfully, flipping his hair, trying to look cool. He had blonde hair and turquoise eyes. I gave him my best death glare, which made him shrink down a little.

"It's short for Maximum." I hated being called Maxine. Nick stood up, his features blank, but I noticed the dark shadow passing through his eyes as he looked at Dylan. Then he turned to talk to a young-looking boy.

"I play football, I was star quarterback back at my old school," Dylan bragged. "Hey, I was wondering, would you-" Nick was suddenly at my side with his new friend.

"Hi, I'm Zephyr Walker," the young-looking boy said cheerfully. He still had a roundness to his face and a joyful glint in his blue eyes. He had blonde hair spiked, dyed blue on the tips. "I'm a couple years younger than you guys, I got early admission, I guess. I'm really smart when it comes to explosives and that kind of stuff. Science." He smiled sheepishly. He pointed at Nick. "This guy wanted me to talk to you?" Dylan growled.

"Yo, dude, can we talk?" Dylan ground out to Nick. Nick nodded and they walked out of earshot. Or so they thought. I had extra-sensitive hearing. I eavesdropped on their conversation.

"What the hell, man?" Dylan whisper-yelled. Nick looked coolly uninterested, raising an eyebrow to mean, _what?_

"Oh, you know what I mean!" Nick still said nothing, merely looking innocently curious. "I was about to ask her out! You and your friend Zipper totally interrupted!" Nick crossed his arms defiantly. Dylan was getting madder. "What are you, mute? Come on, emo boy, faggot, got scars on your arms?" he mocked cruelly. I cringed inwardly. Well, that escalated quickly. Nick was pissed off now, I could tell.

"Fuck off, asshole," Nick said softly. Dylan smiled triumphantly.

"Oh, you _can _talk. Cool. Now, emo fag, I wanna tell you something, man to man. I got a goal, you know? For this year. I'm gonna break every girl's heart. Sleep 'em and dump 'em, you know? My goal is to make sure there's not a virgin girl on campus." Dylan smirked. "Last year, I succeeded at my old school. Even juggled five girls at once. 'Course, I dumped 'em all quick." Nick was quiet for a moment. My blood was boiling now. How dare he?

"The fuck is wrong with you?" Nick asked simply, as calmly as if he was asking for his name. Dylan scowled.

"Nothing. Women are just toys for men. _Someone _has to teach them their place. I'm doing mankind a favor. It isn't their place to think or speak. They are meant to be obedient and a good fuck. Something the matter, faggot?" Nick's eyes blazed with fury. (**A/N: Dylan's views on women are not my actual opinion, I just wanted to make Dylan a sexist jerk. I'm not sexist myself.)**

I walked over to them and pretended I hadn't heard Dylan's sexist comments. Dylan's scowl instantly disappeared and he winked at me. "Oh, hi, Max," Dylan said smoothly. "We were just discussing women's rights. I'm all for powerful women. I can't help but admire you, I can tell you're a strong, independent woman." Nick's jaw clenched. Dylan continued on. "Max, from the moment I lay eyes on you, I knew we were meant to be. We would get married, have a kid or two, grow old together, forever faithful, forever in love. Would you do me the great honor and make me a very happy man by going on a date with me?"

I had to admit, if I hadn't heard what Dylan was saying before, I would've been hooked. I decided to see how much Dylan was willing to lie in order to get me to sleep with him.

"Let me ask you this, Dylan. Have you ever done it with a girl before?" I asked bluntly.

"Max, my sweet, I cannot lie to you. I am a virgin, pure as a dove. To be perfectly honest," Dylan leaned closer to me, "I've never had my first kiss before." He leaned back, a shy smile on his face. He was clearly experienced at wooing and lying to women.

"Sorry, I have a boyfriend," I said, turning to Nick and grabbing his hand. Nick didn't pull away, returning the favor from yesterday. Dylan sneered at Nick.

"Him? He's gay, told me so himself. You're better than him, Max, I know you are. Whatever words of love and adoration he's spoken to you, they're lies. I can do you better, Max, he's no good for you." Dylan looked at me with pleading eyes, but I could see the coldness underneath them.

Having enough of Dylan's hypocrisy, I snarled at him, "Oh? _Nick's _no good? Well, he's a hell of a lot better than you. I'd rather date a gay than a sexist pig like you who just wants to steal girls virginities! And don't get me started on lying. You just want a girl to be your slave. You've had so many girlfriends, you've probably lost count. Well, let me tell you, I'm not going to stoop to their levels. I won't give you any, so just back off! At least Nick would tell me the truth." Actually, I'd just met him yesterday. I have no idea what he's like.

Dylan's handsome features twisted into something cruel and evil. He snapped at me, obviously not used to being talked back to. "Fine! You want the truth, Maximum? I'm not a virgin, I've taken 142 girls virginities, and slept with 305. Yes, I only want girls for their bodies. I hate independent women, women should be obedient and silent. Seen, not heard. Happy now?" Dylan's face was red.

"Good luck getting a date now, Dylan," Zephyr called out. Dylan looked around, realizing the entire class had heard what we were saying. Many had their phones out, taking video. Dylan was frozen for a second before dashing out of the room, the entire class laughing at him.

Nick suddenly pulled me closer to him. "Be my friend?" he asked so low I could barely hear him.

"Best friends," I promised.

**Mwwuhhahahaha. Dylan the sexist pig has been embarrassed! Nick and Max are now besties! Yay! Sorry if I accidentally type "Fang" instead of "Nick", for now I mean Nick. I'm just used to writing Fang. You know? ~Hellisa**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chp 4 Filler Chp, sorry!**

**So basically, this chapter is a montage of Max and Nick becoming close friends and the flock meeting. No faxness, I know, hate me. Wait... let me reread... Okay, a tiny bit of fax.**

Nick's POV, one week after last chap

"_Good luck getting a date now, Dylan,"_an off-camera voice said. All of us cackled with laughter as we replayed Dylan's humiliation for the hundredth time. Well, they laughed. I gave a half smile. You're seriously expecting me to smile? Yeah, right.

So now we're hanging out in James and my dorm. "We" meaning me, Max, James, Monique, Zephyr, and Zephyr's genius little sister Ariel. I should introduce us all.

Me. Nick Ride, silent, emotionless rock wall. 16. Rarely talk, and practically never smile. I'm not emo, but I wear all black. We've gone over this already, haven't we? Be patient, patawan. What I look like: 8-pack, black hair that flops over my eyes sometimes, black eyes, angular face, very handsome. 6'2".

Maximum "Max" Martinez. 15, smart, witty, and beautiful. 5'9", skinny but not grossly so, quick-witted and blonde. My best friend and pretend girlfriend when the situation arises (cough cough, Bridget and Dylan). We've agreed to have each other's backs all the time. Leadership qualities evident. Lived in Arizona with parents and little sister Ella. Bad relationship with father. Not a girly-girl in any way, shape, or form.

James Griffiths. 15. Jokester, witty, and a pervert. 6'3", skinny, pale skin, blind blue eyes. Ever cheerful and in a good mood. Superhuman hearing and other senses. Awesome cooking. Comes from Virginia, lived with his parents. Has a crush on Monique.

Monique Williams. 16. African-American, curly brown hair, mocha skin, brown eyes. Never. Stops. Talking. Loves girly stuff and makeup. Is an expert with computers. Comes from a trailer park in Arizona with her mother. Has a crush on James.

Zephyr Walker. 14. Blonde hair blue eyes. Scientific genius and loves making bombs with James. Young, energetic, goofy, and like Max's little brother. Has intestine problems. Brother to Ariel, they're from Florida. They live with their parents.

Ariel Walker. 11. Genius. Mature for her age, blonde and angelic-looking. Is very good as persuading people to do stuff and always seems to know what you're thinking. (**A/N: None of them have powers, but their senses and athletic abilities are better than normal and they each are good at what their powers are, but not to the level they are in the MR books)** Often carries around a stuffed bear named Celeste.

That's everyone. Right now, as I mentioned before, we are laughing at Dylan's expense, lying on some bean bags we'd bought.

"That sexist pig!" Max laughed, leaning on me. We only had three bean bags, so Ariel and Zephyr shared one, James and Monique another, and Max and I shared the last one. Mine was black, obviously, with dark reddish streaks in it. James and Monique's was white with pink streaks, and Zephyr and Ariel had gold with navy blue streaks. I think they all represented us.

I slung an arm around her shoulders in a friendly way and she rested her head on my shoulder. Since last week, no girl has even spoken to Dylan, unless they were lecturing him or attacking him. It was hilarious.

Three months later

The Flock, as we like to call ourselves, is now having a picnic in the park. We were doing it the old-fashioned way, checkered red and white blanket, wood basket full of food, and six happy kids. We sat down in the grass, spreading out the blanket. We'd discovered that we all had ginormous appetites, so we brought a feast. Whole sliced hams were demolished along with three loaves of bread, five 2-liters of soda, four fresh-baked cakes made by James, and ten burgers. I shoveled down three burgers, five sandwiches, and a whole 2 liters of diet coke. And 3/4 of a cake.

We were all lazily laying around, staring at the sky. Max was next to me. James and Monique disappeared a little while ago, probably to make out. They did that a lot now that they were dating. James grew a pair a month ago and asked her out.

"Nick?" Max's voice floated over to me. I turned to her, propping myself on one arm. She was doing the same. Soft snores came from our left, telling us Ariel and Zephyr had fallen asleep. "Have you ever wished you had wings, so you could fly?"

She couldn't know about my dreams. I've never told anyone before. I often dreamed I was flying. Well, half the time. A quarter of the time, it was about being locked in a cage, and the other dreams were about making out with someone. Never mind that last bit.

I thought about how I'd answer her. "Yeah," I finally said. Max had gotten me to loosen up a bit, to talk more. But still, I'd only talk around her. "I have." In my dreams, there was always six kids (besides the making out dreams, obviously), but their faces were always blurred. We all had wings.

"I wish I could fly," Max murmured. I stroked her long hair thoughtfully.

Two months later, semester break

"FREEEEEDOM!" Max yelled, running out of the classroom as soon as the bell rang. Chuckling to myself, I followed, picking up her backpack for her. I found her twirling in circles, her hands raised up towards the sky. She was laughing happily, her eyes closed. I stopped a moment so I could watch her, admire her. She looked absolutely stunning, her blonde hair flying around, whipping around her face.

The flock gathered in my dorm and James popped open a bottle of apple cider. "To two weeks of no school!" He got out glasses for all of us and poured us all a drink. He clinked glasses and drank the non-alcoholic drink.

"Let's go to the beach!" Ariel suggested. She turned to Max. "Please, Max?" she gave her Bambi eyes. Max had become our unspoken leader. Max relented and we all cheered. Well, I gave a half smile and high-fived James.

Max clapped her hands loudly. "Okay, Flock! We leave in half an hour, meet up in the quad with all your stuff. Girls, wear a shirt and pants over your swim suit. Boys, wear a shirt and your swim trunks. We'll take Nick's car."

Yes, I bought a car. I'd sell it before the year was over. I used my mom's credit card that I swiped. Not like she ever used it. We all got changed and piled into my car. Max sat shotgun and the others were in the back. Max turned on the radio and _Die Young _by Ke$ha poured out. James and Zephyr started singing loudly.

By the time we got to the beach, we were all singing _Break Away _by Kelly Clarkson. I was singing softly. Max smiled at me cheerfully as we unloaded our stuff.

"You're a good singer, you know, Nick," she told me.

"Still hanging around that emo, Max?" sneered a voice from behind us. "Honestly, just dump the gay fuck already."

Dylan.

**K. I'm done writing for now. Love ya all for reviewing. ~Hellisa**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chp 5**

**Dylan doesn't know Nick's name, since he never told him. Thanks for the reviews! and crayzveggasgirl, sure, just for you, I'll put Sam in.**

Max's POV

"He's not gay, for the last time!" I ground out angrily. Fang's arm wrapped around my shoulders. The Flock gathered around us, frowning.

"Can't he talk by himself?" Dylan mocked. "If I were you, emo, I'd stand up for myself. I wouldn't need no woman to talk for me!"

"I don't want to waste time talking to you," Nick growled. Dylan scowled darkly.

"Listen, Max. And you too, guy." Dylan pointed at Nick. "You ruined me! Last year, I was at two girls a day, average! Now I haven't had a date all fucking year! I'll be lucky if I _ever _get another girl to sleep with me! You know that video? It went fucking _viral! _It's got 2 _billion _views! Everyone thinks I'm a jerk, you ruined my life." Dylan flicked his hair out of his eyes. "It's been _five fucking months _since I've fucked, you know that?" (**A/N: Sorry about all the swearing.)**

I almost cringed at the overuse of the word _fucking_. Seriously, there's children at this beach! "It's your own fault," I snapped back. "Maybe if you weren't such a sexist pig, and actually respected women, maybe you'd get a date! But no, you insist on being a jerk and not allowing girls to be independent. Not to mention all the lies you told everyone."

Dylan scowled. "Whatever!" he stormed off furiously. Nick shrugged and continued taking out towels and such. We found a place on the beach and I made everyone put on sunscreen.

James had on pale blue swim trunks with explosions and Zephyr had the grey version. Monique had on a pink bikini that went well with her skin tone. It was a halter-top. Ariel had on a one-piece, she was 11, but it had a giant hole in the back. It was supposed to look like the sky: sky blue with a yellow sun and clouds. I had a bikini, thanks to Monique throwing away the swim suit I'd brought. It had black on the bottom and red on the top piece. It was _way _too revealing for my taste, but I didn't really have a choice.

I couldn't get sunscreen on my back, and the others had already jumped into the water. I was about to just lay down when the sunscreen bottle was plucked from my hands.

"Need help?" Nick asked from behind me. I jumped a little. Nick loved sneaking up on me. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. He rubbed the lotion into my back, making it more like a massage than anything else. I almost moaned, it felt so good. He was done all too soon. I turned to face him and gaped.

Nick was shirtless, like most guys on the beach, and had black swim trunks with a deep red fire erupting from the bottom edges. But that wasn't what made me stare, since I'd seen them before we left. No, what stopped me in my tracks was his upper body. His bare upper body. I never noticed, in all the times I've hugged him or leaned my head on him, how _fit _he was. He had an 8-pack, thanks to sneaking off in the mornings to use the school gym. His chest muscles were well-defined and powerful, yet he was still slim of shoulder and not overly-buff. He looked like a god. No. Strike that. I did not just say that. Oh gods, what was wrong with me?

"Done checking me out?" Nick teased. I whacked him on the chest for that. Damn, that boy had hard muscles.

"Let's go swim," I said. Nick nodded and I raced him to the water's edge. Nick caught up to me and picked me up with one arm.

"Gotcha," he said. I was laughing and Nick waded in until the water came up to his waist.

"Let me go, Nick!" I squealed. Nick chuckled so only I could hear him. I realized my choice of words. "Wait, no! I mean-" Too late. Nick threw me into the water. I surfaced quickly and Nick was nowhere to be seen. I scanned the beach and found him sloshing up, running away. "Oh, no you don't!" I cried, taking off after him. By the time I reached the beach, Nick had hidden.

"Are you okay?" a kind voice asked from my right. I whipped around and saw a cute guy with thick brown hair and a sweet smile. "I'm Sam."

"Max," I replied, still looking around for Nick.

"Looking for someone? Can I help?" Sam asked. He seemed genuinely nice, so I nodded.

"Yeah. Tan, dark hair and eyes, muscular," I described Nick best I could. Sam laughed. I looked at him quizzically.

"Does he have black shorts with flames?" Sam clarified, his cheeks red.

"Yes! Where is he?" I continued to search.

"Found him," someone breathed in my ear. I stifled a scream and turned to face Nick, who had been standing behind me. I punched his chest repeatedly, Nick chuckling. Sam was laughing again.

"Don't do that!" I yelled at him, not really angry. Nick could tell, but he let me hit his rock-hard muscles.

"Best friends don't hit each other," Nick whined playfully. Sam pulled me away from Nick before I killed him.

"Stop sneaking up on me!" I growled at him. Nick shrugged and opened his mouth to speak. Before he could say anything, Ariel called out for him.

"Niiiiiick! Can you bury me in the sand?" Ariel asked, tugging on Nick's arm. He nodded and Ariel dragged him off.

"So, do you go to school near here? Or just vacationing?" Sam asked. He really was cute.

"You know CAA, California State Academy?" (**A/N: Is that a real place?) **Sam brightened.

"Yeah, I go to school there! You too?"

"Yup. Are you here with friends?" I asked. Sam frowned.

"Nah. My cousin. He likes to stare at girls, but can't get a date. He's an A-hole, if you ask me." Sam was suddenly nervous. "Uh, Max? Do you think... Um, do you wanna... Maybe, you know... What would you say to..." Sam trailed off, blushing bright red.

"Um, what?" I asked. Sam was so nervous, it was cute.

"Doyoumaybepossiblywannagoout onadatewithme? Itscoolifyoudontimeanifyoual readyhaveaboyfriendimsorryan dhesaluckyguy." Was that English? I took a moment to repeat what he said in my head and figured out that he was asking me out. I live with Monique, and she talks only slightly slower than that.

"Oh. No, I don't have a boyfriend. Sure, I'll go out with you." I kissed his cheek and went to where we left our stuff. I got out a marker and wrote my number on Sam's arm. "Call me later!" I left to help Ariel get out from the sand mountain Nick, James, and Zephyr had built on top of her.

It was a good day.

**So, there's a bit of Sax. Don't worry, there'll be Fax later. Patience. Requests? Should I bring any new characters in for the 2nd semester? Lissa? Maya? Fang's gang? ~Hellisa**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chp 6 The date and new semester**

**Thanks for the reviews, I feel so loved! Warning: attempted M-rated stuff in this chapter. And I never said who Sam's cousin was. *pout* it doesn't have to be Dylan, it could be Ratchet for all you know. Tell me who you want it to be.**

Max's POV, one week later

"Get away from me!" I yelled, chucking a pillow at Monique.

"Max, you need to wear a dress!" Monique argued, holding up the offending article of clothing. It was about mid-thigh and red. The neckline wasn't too low, but still. I had a strict no-dresses rule. I hate them. They restrict my movements. "Your date with Sam is in an hour!"

Monique and I negotiated. She put on small amounts of makeup on my face and let me do my hair. I got to wear a red skirt instead and a light blue top. Monique babbled the entire time about how it was so exciting that I was going out on a date, what James did on their first date, and asking me a million and one questions about Sam.

I was ready to murder her.

By the time Nick knocked on our door, Monique had straightened my naturally wavy hair and put it into a bun, except for two curls on the edge of my face. I threw the door open and ran into Mr. Rock Wall.

"Wow, Max, you look beautiful," Nick said. No, that's not a mistake. Nick was driving me to my date because it's his car and Sam had to go somewhere beforehand so he was driving straight to the restaurant.

I blushed faintly at the compliment and Nick led me to his car. I had no idea where the restaurant was. Sam, as it turned out, lived in the same building as Nick, and they'd met up earlier to plan.

"Nick, tell me where we're going," I said in a leader-ly way. Nick shrugged and turned up the radio. I leaned back in my seat and tried not to mess up my hair. We drove in a pleasant silence to the mystery place.

"Enjoy your date. If he hurts you, call me and I'll beat him to next Thursday," Nick said to me as he pulled up to the parking lot. We were at _La Comida Buena_, the Good Food. A fancy hispanic place. I pecked his cheek and walked into the restaurant. Sam waved me over.

"Hey, Max, you look great," Sam said. An unbidden thought entered my brain. _Nick called me beautiful. _I smiled at Sam, ignoring that little voice in my pulled out a seat for me, like a real gentleman. I ordered lasagna, trying to hide my ginormous appetite from him. Don't want to scare him off.

We chatted a little, I had a good time. Sam paid, despite my protests. "The man pays, no arguing on this, Max." I had eaten the most, so I should've paid. I left the tip, though. Sam led me to his car. It wasn't as cool as Fang's, but it was nice. Sam was about to open the door for me, when he got a text. Sam pulled out his phone, apologizing to me, and read it. His eyes grew larger and he tucked his phone away.

"Max, I'm sorry, but can you get your own ride home? I really have to be somewhere right now, I'm so sorry, it's urgent," Sam babbled. I put a finger over his lips, glad it was dark so he couldn't see the hurt in my eyes.

"Sh. Go, Sam. I'll call one of my friends." Sam nodded eagerly and drove off quickly. I pulled out my phone, but it was dead. I walked along aimlessly for half an hour before I came to a payphone. I inserted some coins and dialed the familiar number. I heard it ring and then faint breathing. Nick's way of answering the phone.

"Nick, can you pick me up?" I asked, shivering, trying to keep my voice natural.

"Where are you?" Nick asked instantly, not bothering to ask about Sam. I looked around, but it was very dark and there were no street signs. I was under a single street light. There didn't seem to be another one for half a mile.

"I don't know. I walked for half an hour east from the restaurant. Please, Nick, I'm cold, there's nobody around." I would never admit it, but I was scared. I wished Monique had let me bring a jacket, but she insisted that Sam would give me his.

"On my way." I heard a car engine rev up.

"Please don't hang up," I pleaded. I saw a dark figure approach me, slowly. "Nick? There's someone coming towards me. Please, hurry."

"Something called a speed limit, Max." I could see the figure was male, and a lot bigger than me.

"Oh gods, Nick, he has a knife!" The man sped up, walking faster. I backed away as far as the phone cord would let me. The man started running and lunged for me. I screamed and dropped the phone. I heard Nick's deep voice yell from the dropped phone, "Damn it, Max!" (**A/N: If you don't want to read about Ari's attempted R-A-P-E, skip ahead to the next author's note)**

"Your pretty little boyfriend can't help you now," sneered the man. He was pinning me down, I smelled his cheap cologne. He wasn't drunk, I could tell that much. I struggled against his powerful hands, but to no avail.

"What's your name, pretty girl?" taunted the sicko. "I'm Ari." Now that I could see him better, I could tell he was only a few years older than me. He was surprisingly handsome, and had a pretty voice. His dark brown hair was thick and I could see the shadow of a beard on his face.

I spat at him. Ari flinched, but didn't let go. "Pretty girls like you shouldn't be walking around all alone this time of night," Ari taunted. "Bad men like me might come after them and do bad things." Ari pinned both my hands above my head with one of his meaty paws. With his free hand, he unbuckled his pants.

"Your pretty little boyfriend Nick can't do what I can do with these hips," Ari gloated. "You'll be begging for more by the time I'm finished with you." Ari let his pants drop to his ankles and started groping me.

"Get off!" I yelled, squirming under his weight. Ari laughed horribly. It came out more like a bark. I think I imagined squealing tires. But it couldn't be Nick. The restaurant was half an hour away from school, and I had walked another ten minutes driving distance.

"Make me," Ari leered. His hand started lifting my skirt up. **(A/N: Mmkay. You can continue reading now, it's just someone beating the [censored] out of Ari)**

"She said, _get off_!" snarled a deep voice, and Ari was lifted off of me. I looked up and illuminated in the yellow street light was my savior. Ari was thrown several feet. Ari yanked up his pants and came back at Nick.

Nick and Ari started fighting, they were pretty evenly matched. I realized with a start that Nick was shirtless. Ari seemed to realize that too, and yelled, "I would've let you have her when I was done!" Oh. Ari thought Nick was another... ew. Nick was only wearing jeans, no shoes or anything. I blushed, and I lifted my hand up to my cheek. I realized with a start that I was crying. I picked myself off the ground as Nick was yelling at Ari's retreating form.

"Yeah! Get outta here, don't come back!" Nick shouted as Ari ran off.

"You wasted 11 words on him," I groaned, trying to lighten the mood. Nick smirked a little before resetting his stoney expression.

"Let's get you home," Nick murmured, reaching into his car and pulling out his favorite leather jacket. He wrapped it around my shoulders and led me to the car.

We sat in silence for most of the ride, until I couldn't hold it in any longer. "How did you get there so fast? Why are you shirtless and barefoot?"

Nick had on a humorless smirk. "After you screamed, I broke a few laws. And as for the half-naked-ness, I was in the shower when you called. You sounded scared, so I rushed."

I nodded. Made sense, considering Nick's hair was still damp and he smelled clean.

"Where was Sam? I thought he was driving you home."

Excellent question. Where _was _Sam?

**Tee hee. What do you think Sam is doing? R&R, please!~Hellisa**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chp 7**

**Every time I look at the reviews, I smile. Or think about them. My friends asked me why I was smiling. I couldn't exactly say "Oh, random people I will never know just told me they like my story on this crazy website called ." Sorry for not updating sooner, I have homework, but I'll try to work on these as soon as possible. I honestly don't see the point of reading ****_The Odyssey, _****but my Lit teacher insists.**

**Right! Onto the story. Where were we? Ah yes. What was Sam doing? Hm?**

Dylan's POV

I scowled at the phone, as if the man on the other end could see me. My cell phone was caught in my death grip, my knuckles white. I was barely listening to him speaking.

"Dylan, your reputation is not the main issue here!" the man in Germany swore into the phone.

"Are you kidding me? Because of _your _instructions, I look like a sexist jerk! Even when this is over, and I win Max over, people will recognize me as a jerk! Do you know how that will look on the media?"

"Damn it, Dylan!" The German was frustrated, I could tell that much. "We'll get you surgery to look different. We'll relocate you and Max. To where there's no internet. You'll get famous again, and Max will still be a hero."

"What about the Flock?" I bristled, my wings spreading a little. (**A/N: Tee hee. Dylan has wings!)** "Max will never leave them. And they're already close friends _here._"

"Calm down! We'll implant fake memories of them betraying her. It's not that difficult."

I relaxed a little. But I still wasn't satisfied. "Can you take that video down? Not that I don't _love _being slapped by random girls on a daily basis."

"No. Dylan, it's on the _internet._ And so many people have seen it already, there's no point. Everybody knows about it." The German started typing. "I'm sending you a format. Fill it in on how everything's going, and the Council will decide on our next plan of action."

"And what am I supposed to do until then? Max is already getting closer to Fang every day, it's not long before one of them triggers their memories."

"Until then... use your secret weapon."

A wicked smile formed on my lips. "Yes, sir." I hung up and immediately sent a text to my secret weapon.

_To: 555-1029_

_From: Dylan Gunther-Hagen_

_Message: Guys. Time to move out. Let's roll._

Laughing to myself, I went to my computer and opened up the email from the German, Dr. Hans.

Nick's POV

I didn't want to tell Max. She had told me Sam got a text and had to leave before he could drop her off. When she called, I had yanked on some jeans and ran to my car.

_Flashback_

Ring ring. Ring ring. _I wrapped the towel around my waist and picked up the phone. Who called at 8:09, when I was showering? I frowned when I saw the caller I.D. A picture of Max and I showed up and _Maximum Martinez _appeared at the bottom of the screen. Something was wrong. I could feel it. I hit answer and waited._

_"Nick, can you come pick me up?" Max's voice said. She sounded nervous._

_"Where are you?" I demanded, silently fuming. Sam was supposed to drive her back to her dorm. Something went wrong on her date. I swear, if that little scumbag laid a finger on Max or hurt her in any way..._

_I yanked on a pair of jeans, not bothering with putting on a shirt or even socks. I raced out of my dorm, ignoring James' startled look. On my way to my car, I passed Sam, who was entering someone's dorm. I don't know who it belonged to. Normally, I would have cornered Sam, but Max sounded scared._

_"I don't know. I walked for half an hour east from the restaurant. Please, Nick, I'm cold, there's nobody around." I pulled my car door open and started up the engine._

_"On my way," I sad, ready to hang up. I started backing up._

_"Please don't hang up," Max pleaded. I hesitated. It was against the law to talk on the phone and drive. "Nick? There's someone coming towards me. Please, hurry." I drove as fast as I could without breaking any more laws towards the restaurant._

_"Something called a speed limit, Max," I growled, frustrated at Sam for leaving Max stranded in who-knows-where._

_"Oh gods, Nick, he has a knife!" I heard a clang and a thump, plus Max's scream._

_"Damn it, Max!" I screamed, flooring it. Max was in danger. She _never _screamed. Screw the law. I ran at least three red lights and countless stop signs. I wished the restaurant wasn't half an hour away. I got to the place and made a sharp left, east. Don't ask me how I knew it was east. I could just tell. I was hitting eighty when I saw the telephone pole next to the street light. And two figures, laying on the ground, illuminated by the yellow light._

_I hit the brakes, the tires squealing and nearly impaling myself with the wheel. The car skidded a few meters, and I jumped out. I could already tell the person on the bottom was Max, her once-beautiful dress was torn and lifted up higher than it should be. "Get off!" I heard Max say. The filthy man on top of her had one hand pinning her hands down and the other moving steadily up her thigh. The man said something I didn't quite catch. He was kissing her, but she didn't look like she was enjoying it._

_"She said, _get off!_" I snarled menacingly. I lifted the man up by the back of his collar and threw him a few feet away. The man lifted up his pants and came at me again. He had a knife, but I was pissed. We were pretty evenly matched._

_"I would've let you have her when I was done!" The man swore. I landed a powerful punch to his jaw. He thought I was another rapist. Gross. I'd never! A quick roundhouse kick to the chest made the sick son of a _ run away like a sissy._

_"Yeah! Get outta here, don't come back!" I screamed at Ari's back. I turned back to Max, who was standing now. She looked horrible, bruises around her wrists and dirt everywhere. Her dress was ripped in several places, yet to me, illuminated in the soft light from the street lamp, she never looked more beautiful._

_"You wasted 11 words on him," Max said softly. I smirked a little at her attempt to lighten the mood, but it quickly became a frown again. Max was shivering, and I didn't blame her. It was freaking _cold _out. I know, California's supposed to be all sunny and beaches, but at 8:30 PM, winter, it's not bright and sunny out. I went to my badly-parked car and pulled out the leather jacket I had left there accidentally. "Let's get you home," I murmured, leading her to my car._

_End Flashback_

Max had said Sam had to be at a meeting, an hour away from the restaurant. So what was he doing half an hour after their date, back at school? He had clearly lied to her, but I couldn't tell Max now. She was in a delicate state, having just been sexually assaulted by someone.

"We'll go to the police tomorrow," Max said to me. "Right now, I just want to go to sleep." I nodded and drove back, following driving laws. I parked carefully. I looked over and she was asleep. I picked her up bridal style and carried her with ease to her room. I knocked on the door with my elbow and Monique answered, wearing pink pajamas.

"Who the he- Max? Nick, what's going on? Wasn't Sam...?" I shook me head as a warning and Monique let me in. I laid Max down on her bed and tucked her in.

"Nick, what happened? Why is Max all grimy? Where's Sam? The date should've ended an hour ago, did it go badly? I want to know! I was so worried about her, I thought Sam had taken her back to his dorm. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know whether to be worried or not, I mean Max is strong and stuff, but wow, she looks bad now. And Nick, why are you shirtless and barefoot? Oh gods, you guys didn't...?" I shook my head, but didn't answer the rest of her questions. It was for Max to say, if she wanted to. "I'll be back at ten tomorrow morning, tell Max when she wakes up." I turned and left.

**Mwuuhahaha. That chapter was useless, just to add to the drama. ;) totally pointless, and now we know Sam wasn't at any meeting. Well, that sort of meeting. read and review! What is Dylan's secret weapon? Don't worry, next chapter should be up in two days at the latest. I promise, it'll have some answers. ~Hellisa**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chp 8**

**Right so I promised answers! Ask and you shall receive, my dear readers (within reason). Have you heard of the song Just Give Me A Reason by P!nk ft. Nate Ruess (lead singer of Fun.)? It's such an awesome song, I have it on replay on my iTunes.**

Max's POV

I woke up in my own bed. I reached my hand up to touch my head, and saw the purple bruises on my own wrists. I gasped, the events of last night coming back to me. Sam leaving, Ari attacking, and Nick saving me. I pulled the covers off and saw my ruined dress. Monique will kill me. I swung out of bed and took a much-needed shower, washing off last night's muck and filth. I pulled on a clean T-shirt and jeans, _way _comfier than a dress, and changed my now filthy bedsheets. Monique walked in as I was finishing up making my bed.

"Max! You're up! Great! What _happened _last night? You were late, I thought you went home with Sam which would be totally irresponsible, but an hour later Nick knocks on our door and I'm like, 'who the hell is knocking at 9 P.M.?' but it was just Nick, and he was carrying you. Did you guys do it? Are you cheating on Sam? Oh my gods, that would be terrible! No, you aren't terrible, Max, cheating is. Especially after your first date, I mean, Sam seems like a really nice person. I haven't met him, but you should totally bring him over to hang out with the Flock! I mean, we don't have many friends besides each other." Monique spoke quickly, her words blurring together a little. I held up my hands in a _stop _gesture.

"Whoa, whoa there. I'm not cheating on Sam. He didn't drive me home, he had somewhere to go. Nick did, but before he did, I was almost raped. Nick saved me, though. You can tell James, but not Zephyr or Ariel. I must've fallen asleep in the car." I ran a brush through my hair. Hey, just because I'm not a girly-girl doesn't mean I don't have good hygiene.

There was a quiet knock on the door. I opened it and Nick stood, wearing all black per usual, hands shoved in his pockets. He gave me a concerned look. "Sleep good? Ready to go?" he asked quietly. I nodded and turned to Monique quizzically. Monique blushed a little.

"Oops, forgot to mention. Nick said he was stopping by at ten. I totally forgot, because they were serving french toast in the cafeteria, and James was being so silly. Sorry, Max." Monique dashed into the bathroom and I smiled.

"The police, for Ari," Nick clarified. I mentally smacked myself on the head for not remembering and pulled on some shoes. We left the dorm and I was getting in Nick's car when I spotted Sam, talking to a guy and two girls at the far side of the parking lot. The other guy wore sunglasses and had headphones around his neck, and had an arm around the smaller of the two girls. She was Asian, I think. The other girl, a tall blonde, was pressed up against Sam. Sam looked uncomfortable, and then two other people joined them. My fists clenched when I saw it was Dylan, and with him was a redhead. Brigid, I think it was. I quickly snapped a few pictures with my phone and buckled in before Nick could ask questions. He hadn't seen the group.

We arrived at the station and Nick trailed in behind me. I went up to the desk and a woman smiled at me. "Can I help you kids?" she asked. I bristled a little. I was 15, not exactly a _kid._

"I get sexually assaulted last night, around 8:30, by a man named Ari," I said.

"Near Ft. Baker St. and September Ave.," Nick put in. "By the telephone pole."

The woman called in a uniformed officer who took us into an interview room. Separate ones. The man in the room had my tell him everything that happened since my date ended. I'm sure Nick was next door, telling the officers his side of the story.

"He _told _you his name?" Officer Johnson asked, skeptical. "He said, 'my name is Ari', to you, directly?"

"He said 'I'm Ari'," I repeated. "He had thick, dark brown hair and was probably 20." Johnson nodded, noting all this down.

"Do you have the dress, still? We may find some DNA from this Ari character." I nodded, telling his it was in my room. I told him I'd bring it later that day.

"We'll do what we can to find Ari, Ms. Martinez," Johnson said, and I nodded and left the room. Nick joined me shortly. We drove back in silence. The second I got out of the car, an arm grabbed me. Not wanting to be caught off-guard again, I twisted the person's arm behind their back painfully.

Sam yelped in pain. I let go instantly. "I'm so sorry, you surprised me," I gasped, rubbing my boyfriend's arm. Sam nodded.

"Who's car is this?" Sam demanded jealously. Nick walked around the back to stand behind Sam.

"Why don't you ask the driver," Nick said dryly. Sam whirled around and saw Nick. Jealousy flashed through Sam's features.

"Where were you, Max?" Sam never took his eyes off of Nick. "I stopped by earlier, but your roommate said you were out."

"I had to run an errand," I replied evasively. "Nick is the only one of us to have a car, so he drove me." I kissed his cheek reassuringly. "I'm sorry."

Sam smiled. "You could've asked me for a ride, you know." He hooked his arm around mine. "Come on, I'll treat you to lunch." We walked off, and Sam took me in his car to a nice place for lunch.

"How was your meeting last night?" I asked. Sam stiffened a little, but relaxed almost instantly. I barely caught the movement.

"Good. We talked about budget stuff. Boring, mostly. I would've much rather been with you, baby." Sam gave me a super-sweet smile, almost making me forget about his meeting up with Dylan this morning. Almost.

"Do you have any siblings?" I asked casually. Sam shrugged.

"Yeah, three older sisters. Pains in the ass, if you ask me. Always hogging the bathroom and phone. Thank the gods I'm here now, away from them. And they were too busy with their boyfriends, or lack thereof, to come and visit. Not that I'm complaining." Sam took a bite from his hamburger. I chewed my double cheeseburger thoughtfully. "How about you, Max? What's your family like?"

Oh gods. The dreaded question I'd been avoiding. I swallowed and took a slow sip of my drink. "I have a younger sister, Ella. We lived in Arizona with our parents," I said carefully. I didn't want to mention Jeb right now. Sam nodded.

"Cool. I-" Sam was about to say something when his phone went off again. He growled in irritation and checked the text. A smile appeared on his face. "Max, I hate to run off on you again, but the meeting..."

Again? I sighed and tried not to look too disappointed. "Okay, fine. I'll call Nick to come pick me up. Again." Jealousy was clear in Sam's face.

"Why _Nick?"_ Sam whined. "Can't your roommate do it? Or her boyfriend? You guys are all friends. Why does it have to be Nick?"

I crossed my arms. "Nick is my best friend, Sam. And he's the only one of us to have a car. Nobody else is allowed to drive it." Sam seemed to be having an internal debate.

"Ok, fine! I have to go. But call me if he tries anything." I grabbed his arm as he was about to leave.

"Wait, what?" I couldn't keep the anger out of my voice. "You think I'm cheating on you with him? Is that what this is about?" Sam looked a bit red.

"Just think about it, Max," Sam said. "What if I spend loads of time with my female 'best friend', driving around with her and stuff? Wouldn't you get a little jealous? Nick isn't ugly, Max, I can see that much. And he's single. You're very attractive, and Nick has every right to like you. I don't blame him, but I do want to keep him from you. Is that really a crime?" People were starting to stare.

I glare at him. "Sam, Nick is my best friend, and if you can't accept that and don't trust me, I think we should break up." People around us gasped, but we ignored them. Sam was silently fuming. I turned on my heel and walked away.

**DONE for now. Sorry, i may not be able to post a new chapter because it takes two days to write one and Friday will be super-super busy for me. School 7-2 (i only have 6 classes), art class 2:30-5, meeting 7-9. And I need my sleep and food. Not necessarily in that order. Anyways, Max and Sam broke up! Sam, Dylan, and other people were seen talking. Recognize them? R&R, as always. ~Helissa**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chp 9**

**I just realized I didn't actually give you any answers. My bad. I'm working on it! FAXFAXFAXFAXFAXFAX.**

Max's POV

I continued walking for ten minutes, reaching a grassy park. I pulled out my phone.

"Nick, pick me up. I've got big news."

"Where?"

"Park near Burger Joint." I hung up and sat down on a bench. I watched kids play with each other. I saw a blonde girl and a dark-haired boy playing together. The girl kissed the boy on the cheek and ran off, giggling. The boy touched his cheek in surprise before chasing after her.

A figure clad in all black sat down next to me, looking at the children. "Cute, huh?" Nick asked, not looking at me. "News?"

"I'm single now. Sam got jealous." I watched Nick out of the corner of my eye, gaging his reaction. His eyes widened a whole millimeter. Wow, he was surprised.

"That's stupid," was all he said. I agreed. I got into his car and we drove back, listening to P!nk sing _Please Don't Leave Me. _Just as he pulled into the parking lot, I turned to him.

"Sam thought I was spending too much time alone with you," I said. Nick scowled.

"I'm your best friend and I have a car. Why _wouldn't _I spend time with you?" Nick turned to me, his black eyes soft. "Max, you're great. And Sam is an idiot for not chasing after you. You're beautiful, gorgeous, and perfect. Sam didn't know what he had." He was leaning closer. Oh my gods. Why wasn't I stopping him? Did I feel the same? Oh gods, he's closer. Should I stop him?

Instead of listening to my voice of reason, I let Nick's lips touch mine. They were surprisingly soft, and I kissed back gently, closing my eyes, letting myself be lost in his kiss. Nick pulled away after a moment, locking eyes with me.

"Fang," I murmured. Nick's eyes widened with surprise. I gasped. I didn't mean to say that. Why did I say that? Darkness suddenly claimed me.

_Flashback/Max's Vision, 3rd person_

_"Max, I love you, okay? And I can't stand it when you push me away. I want to know now, Max. Do you want me the way I want you?" Fang brushed a lock of Max's brown hair out of her eyes. "If you don't want me, I'll leave you alone. I won't kiss you again, I'll be your wingman and best friend, nothing more. Just promise me this: Don't fall for Dylan. He's not one of us, he'll never be, not when he's spouting all that 'Perfect Other Half' nonsense. I can tell, Max, he's not right for you, perfect other half or not." It was the most words Fang had spoken in a very long time._

_Max was quiet for a long time. Fang sighed, standing up. Pain flashed through his usually emotionless black eyes. Max quickly stood up and put her hand on his shoulder as he turned to leave. He faced her again, his obsidian eyes boring into her own._

_"Fang, I want you too. And Dylan? He's nothing. I never told you, but my Voice once said that you were my soulmate." Max smiled and Fang gave her a super-rare Fang smile. She pressed her lips to his, for the first time. Before, it had been him kissing her, not the other way around. Fang immediately kissed back, putting his muscular, tanned arms around her waist. Max reached up and tangled her hands in his long, black hair. _If this isn't Heaven_, Max thought, _then I don't know what is.

_Vision change_

_"Fang!" Max struggled, but the Flyboys held onto her arms, their grips like iron. Fang was held down by at least eight of them, his black eyes blazing with fury. The rest of the Flock had been captured already, taken down by tranquilizer darts. Fang and Max were the last ones._

_"Get OFF!" Fang bellowed, kicking the head of a Flyboy off. Two more Flyboys rushed in to take his place. More and more Flyboys swarmed from seemingly nowhere, surrounding the couple and holding up tranquilizer guns._

_"What the hell?" Dylan! Max stopped struggling for a second, straining to catch a glimpse of her "perfect other half". Dylan glared at the Flyboys, not attacking, his wings outstretched. "Use the damn tranquilizers already! Dr. Hans doesn't want them harmed, and frankly, I don't want my wife to have fresh scars." Dylan aimed a punch at the lead Flyboy, smashing it's motherboard. The other Flyboys made clicking sounds at each other, along with a series of rapid beeps._

_"Traitor!" Max screamed. Dylan looked over to her, his turquoise eyes darker than usual. He walked over to the fighting birdkids. "You should be helping us!"_

_"I'm no traitor, Max. I love you, yes. But I won't help you escape. I owe my loyalty to my creator, Dr. Hans Gunther-Hagen. Not to you, Max, as much as you try to be my leader. I followed your orders, I fought against Dr. Hans' inventions for you. But you have gotten nowhere in saving the world. So Dr. Bathelder and Dr. Hans have decided to make a new mutant who will complete your mission. As for you, the entire Flock will have their wings removed, memories replaced, and you will live in complete ignorance for the rest of your lives. I'm sorry, Max, but this is the only way."_

_Max scowled darkly at Dylan. Dylan shrugged. "I will be there for you, Max, always. I love you, nothing can change that. Even if you become someone different because of the memory replacement, I will always be your other half. Remember that, please."_

_"You'll never be with Max!" Fang snarled. Dylan looked at him like Fang was just a pesky fly._

_"And how will you stop it, Fang? You'll be in Virginia, Max in Arizona. I will be in Arizona, I will befriend the _new _Max, and where will you be to stop it? In Virginia, making out with a new girl, not knowing who Max is, not knowing who you are." Dylan had an ugly smirk on his normally handsome face. "I will win, Fang. Flyboys, shoot them now, or you'll all be deactivated!" Dylan stepped away from the doomed lovers, who looked into each other's eyes._

_"I love you, Max," Fang said, so soft only Max could hear him._

_"I love you too, Fang."_

_End Flashbacks_

"Max? Max, wake up," Nick's voice broke through the blackness. I blinked and sat up. That was weird. Those visions, they seemed so _real, _so believable. Even though Dylan had wings. I frowned.

"What happened?" I asked, trying to understand my visions. They seemed more like... memories? Impossible.

"We made out. You called me Fang. Then you passed out." I realized we were in my dorm. I was lying on the bed, and Nick had pulled up a chair beside me. Worry was clear in his eyes, though his face was emotionless as usual.

"Oh, Nick. I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me. I don't know anyone named Fang," I babbled. I didn't want to tell him my visions just yet. I blinked, realizing with a painful jolt that... _Nick and Fang were identical._ Well, in my visions, Fang was younger, but they were clearly the same person. The brick wall exterior, the slew of emotions inside, the black eyes and hair, the tanned complexion. All the same. But Nick didn't have wings, I'd seen him shirtless. It must be a mistake.

"I'm called Fang in my dreams," Nick muttered. I stared at him. He dreamed of flying, I remember. But was it possible that he _was _Fang? I looked at him curiously.

"I dream of six people, myself included," Fang continued. He was looking directly at me. "3/4 of my dreams are about us, flying, being locked in cages. Every time, I'm called Fang."

My head spun as I recalled my own dreams of flying, six kids, a mysterious boy my age called Fang. Nick continued talking.

"In my dreams, it's Angel, the youngest, who can read minds. She has a brother, the Gasman, or Gazzy. I think he looks like Zephyr. Then there's Nudge, who now that I think about it, reminds me of Monique. But I've had these dreams for a long time before I met any of you.

"There's Iggy, the blind pyro cook. I suppose he's like James. There's me, Fang. And there's the leader of us all. A girl, with long blonde hair, named Maximum." Nick never broke my gaze.

"Maximum is my full name," I murmured, half to myself. Everything Nick described, I have dreamed of too. Nick nodded. Obviously, he knew that. "When I blacked out, I got these visions. I think the kiss triggered some of my memories."

Nick smirked. "Wanna see if we can trigger some more?" he teased. I thought about it for a moment. Nick really was a great kisser. I nodded and pulled Nick onto my bed and we made out for who-knows-how-long.

**Okay, I lied. I couldn't help it. I had to continue writing. Next one should be on Saturday. Or tomorrow, though I doubt it.~Hellisa**


	10. Chapter 10

**Again, I lied. It's Friday! Alrighty, there was your faxiness for a while, I think. Now it's time for something totally new... SAM'S POV! Yes! And Whisper Your Name, when did I say Dylan was emo? I never said that. Did I? This is a fax story, I don't really like Dylan, if you couldn't tell.**

Sam's POV

I banged on Dylan's door. I heard rustling and then the persecuted blonde opened the door. "Why, hello, Sam. What a nice surprise? To what do I owe this pleasure to?"

I pushed past him and turned to face him, crossing my arms. Dylan closed the door quickly.

"What do you want?" Dylan's voice was suddenly cold. "I'm a busy man."

I scowled. "Like hell you are. I just got dumped today by your _precious _Max. And now I want out of your plan."

Dylan's features darkened. "You can't just walk out on us, Samuel. You know too much. How do I know you're not going to spill it all to Max?" I narrowed my eyes.

"Your plans are vague, Dylan. All I know is that you are in love with her, you want to break her away from her friends, and you're hiding something. Something that concerns her." Dylan nodded.

"Fine. But Sam? If I find out that you know more than that, you'll be sorry." Dylan shoved me out of the dorm room he shared with my cousin. (**A/N: HA, Dylan isn't Sam's cousin! Take that, people who said Dylan was Sam's cousin "so predictable" :P)**

Max's POV

I remember everything. The Flock, Fang, whitecoats, everything. Making out with Ni-no, _Fang, _and taking a nap triggered all my _real _memories. My old ones of abusive Jeb, protecting Ella from harm, all those, were fading. Fang had also started to remember. I sat up and saw Mon- Nudge, playing around with her arsenal of makeup. I sprung up and embraced her.

"Max? Um, hi?" Nudge hugged me back hesitantly. I'm not a huggy person, so I must've surprised her. "Are you okay? I walked in here a few hours ago and saw you making out with Nick! I didn't want to disturb you, so I left to hang out with James, and when I got back like a half an hour ago, you were asleep. It's only 3 in the afternoon, Max, really? I guess a girl needs her beauty sleep, but still. OMG, you kissed Nick! How was he?"

It took me a moment to remember Nick was Fang. "He's an awesome kisser, Nudge." I grabbed my brush and combed the tangles from my unruly hair. Honestly, I was asleep for an hour, and my hair goes crazy.

Nudge's face twisted in confusion. "Did you just call me Nudge? That sounds familiar, I think I've had dreams where I'm called that. LOL, I've also had dreams about _flying. _How ridiculous! Don't you think so, Max? And something about dog cages. OMG, I wish I had a dog! I'd name him Total, I don't know why! It just came to me. And I'd want my dog to talk, I mean, how cool is that? A talking dog! We could talk all the time, he'd be able to hear secrets, and nobody would pay attention to him because he's a dog! Total would be like my little spy! Wouldn't that be so cool?"

I let all this sink in. Oh, right. The rest of the Flock still thought they were normal. Funny, she vaguely remembered Total. I went into the bathroom to wash up, and when I took off my shirt, I gasped. My wings were back! I extended them and stretched. They felt so _good, _I didn't realize how insanely I'd missed them. The whitecoats must have hidden them from us, somehow, but having my memories back must've released them. I took a hot shower and dressed in a large hoodie and practically ran out of the room towards Fang's dorm.

"Fa-Nick! Let me in!" I banged on his door. Iggy opened it, smirking.

"He's lifting weights over there, his headphones are in. After all, Fnick is Superman," Iggy mocked. I froze at the words.

_Flashback_

_"I glanced at Fang.'You sure you can move?'_

_He shrugged, looking tired again, and pushed away the food tray. 'Sure.' He lay back down and shut his eyes._

_'After all, Fnick is Superman,' said Iggy." (School's Out Forever, pg. 57)_

_End Flashback_

"Are you going to talk to him or stand there all day?" Iggy asked. I shook the memory off and went over to Fang. I touched his shoulder lightly. He swung around, battle-ready, and relaxed when he saw me. He set down the weights and pulled out his earbuds.

"Max." He leaned down and pecked me on the lips. I smiled and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"You're all sweaty," I complained.

"Since when has that been an issue?" Fang chuckled and pulled me closer. I rested my head on his chest. Damn his tallness. "At least it's not blood," he mumbled, so quiet I barely caught it. I nodded.

"You remember?" I moved one of my hands to feel his back. Fang shivered at my touch. I traced his wings through his T-shirt. I looked up and smiled at him. He cocked his head, silently asking a question. I moved one of his hands on top of my wing. His eyes glowed as he stroked then softly.

"I love you, Fang," I muttered into his neck.

"Love you too, Max." Fang leaned down a little and we picked up where we left off a couple hours ago.

"Yo, get a room!" Iggy yelled. "I'm still here, ya know!" I laughed and went over to him.

"Hey, James, does the word _Iggy _mean anything to you?" I asked. Fang came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. Iggy scowled a moment.

"Yeah. In my dreams, I'm still blind, but I head _Iggy _a lot. Is that someone's name?" Iggy ran his pale hand through his strawberry blonde hair. "Where'd you hear that name?"

"My name is Maximum Ride, this is Fang, you're Iggy. Your girlfriend is Nudge, your partner-in-crime is Gazzy, the Gasman, and his little sister is Angel." I spoke slowly, letting each word sink in. "Can you remember flying, Iggy? Erasers, Flyboys, M-Geeks? The whitecoats, the experiments on your eyes. Our powers. Don't you remember, Ig?"

Iggy burst out laughing. "Yeah, right! I'm dreaming, aren't I? You're nuts. You oughta be in a mental hospi-"

"You remember my sister, Ella?" I asked in a low voice. Iggy choked a little. Ella and him had crushes on each other a while back. I remember Ella telling me about her crush. The whitecoats probably removed her and my mom's memory too, now that I think about it.

"Ella Martinez?" Iggy clarified. "I don't... How did you... In my dreams...?" He closed his sightless eyes, holding his head in his hands. "Flock... Whitecoats... Gaz-Ig-Nart technique... Total... Akila... Gozen... WINGS!" With a strangled yell, Iggy's shirt ripped off of his skinny body, having been torn by long, white wings. They had black on the tips. Iggy got his wings back.

"Believe me now, Ig?" I stood up straight. Iggy nodded, sweat pouring down his face.

"Oh gods, Max. Fang. The Flock, I remember everything. The others, do they know?" Iggy shook out his wings. He started walking to the door.

"Put a shirt on, Igs," Fang advised. Iggy blushed and threw on a white shirt. We all made sure our wings were hidden before leaving the room. I saw Sam go into a room. I frowned. I picked up my phone and called him.

"Max?" Sam sounded hopeful. "How are you doing?"

"Just wondering if you're busy right now, I kinda walked out on you earlier. I think we should talk." Fang shot me a questioning look, but I waved him off.

I heard Sam's frustrated sigh. "I can't. My meeting... they insisted on meeting. How about we meet for dinner?" I frowned.

"But you had to leave our date at 12:30 for a meeting. Now you have another one?" Sam was clearly lying. I knew that much.

"Um, it's the last one, I swear. Max, please, I miss you so much. I promise, I won't blow you off again. It's all my cousin's fault. Listen, can you meet me at Burger Joint for dinner, in an hour? Please?" Honestly, he sounded so pitifully desperate, I agreed. Just so we could talk. I ended the call and turned to the older boys of the Flock.

"Fang, Iggy, gather the Flock, and hurry. I'm meeting Sam at Burger Joint to talk to him." Fang gritted his teeth.

"The wiener? But Max, what about us?"

"I just want to know what he's been up to. Fang, you're coming with me." I showed him the picture I took this morning. "This is his 'meeting'. That's Dylan with Brigid, and Sam with a blonde. Recognize anyone else?"

Fang blinked. "That isn't Brigid, Max. That's _Lissa._"

**Yes! Dylan has got Lissa in California, somehow. More on that later. Fang's stalker is back, teamed up with Fang's enemy, and Max's resentful ex-boyfriend! What could go wrong? ~Hellisa**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chp 11**

**LALALALALALALA DIDJA KNOW THAT THERE'S A BREED OF PIG CALLED THE BLUE BUTT? IT'S A CROSS BETWEEN A HAMPSHIRE AND A YORKSHIRE. I'M HYPER. AND I LIKE CAPS LOCK. I RAISE PIGS DURING THE SUMMER, IT'S FREAKING AWESOME.**

**Anyways. New chapter! Enjoy!**

Fang's POV

The Flock sat around in a circle, Max taking charge. She was sitting on my lap, on our bean bag chair. Iggy was smiling a lot more than usual, and it was creeping Nudge out a little.

"James, what's up?" Nudge asked. Iggy shrugged lazily, his arm draped over her shoulders.

"I dunno, can't see, now can I?" Iggy snickered. "Is it interesting?" Nudge grumbled a little, but relaxed in his arms.

"Max, you have something to say?" Angel asked. She was still good at reading people, but couldn't read minds. Anymore.

Max clapped her hands for attention. "Ig, take Gaz. Fang, remind Ange. I'll take Nudge." To Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel, that sounded like gibberish. I nodded and motioned for Angel to follow me.

She did so, unsure. "Nick, what's going on?" I looked over at her. My little Angel, she looked up to me. Even when she tried to ruin Max and my relationship and almost got me killed, I love her.

"Ang-Ariel, have you been having... dreams?" Okay, not the best way to start...

Angel shrugged. "Doesn't everyone?" I shook my head.

"No, not like the ones we have. You see-" I cut myself short. Max had said one word to bring Iggy back. It had been the name of his crush. For Angel, the word would have to be... "Total. Total and Akila are missing." Angel started spasming. Her eyes clouded a little, as she processed all the information.

"Fang!" she gasped out, tears falling down her angelic face. A wide smile altered the salty drops paths. She embraced me fiercely. "Thank the gods, I remember now! My wings!" I pulled out a knife and carefully sliced two holes into the back of her shirt. Her pure white wings popped out and she ruffled them happily. "Are Total and Akila really gone?"

I grinned. _I don't know what Dylan did to them when we were captured. Probably experimented on, or let loose in the wild. We'll find them after Nudge and Gazzy get their memories back, _I thought hard. Angel smiled happily and nodded. She ran back to the others, jumping onto Max, who was still talking to a confused Nudge.

"What are you talking about, Max? I mean, having wings would be totally cool, you could fly everywhere, but you'd never fit in anywhere! I'd hate that, I love school! And who did you say gave us the wings? _White coats?_ OMG, I have a white jacket, does that count? It totally goes with my white dress, you know the one with the thin black belt? I wore that on my fifth date with my ex boyfriend, Sloan, (**A/N: NEVERMORE REFRENCE :D)** and he liked it a lot! He said I looked beautiful, but of course, I have James now! Sloan called me a freak when he broke up with me. I just told him about my dream. He left me. But James loves me, I know it." I held a hand over Nudge's mouth. Max shot me a grateful look.

(**A/N: I should've mentioned this earlier, but everything in the books has happened up to Nevermore. But Fang never left, and he never met Fang's gang. Dylan and Max never got close because Fang was around. But they still defeated the group in Paris [?] and Angel was still captured. They rescued her and then settled down for a little in the E house. Should've mentioned that earlier. Sorry.)**

"Monique, be quiet for a minute. Do you remember being in New York? The sewer, magnetic abilities, flying?" I wrapped an arm around Max and spread my awesome 15-foot black wings. Nudge started having a mini seizer, and I looked over to Iggy and Gazzy. Gazzy had his wings out, laughing like crazy at something Iggy reminded him of.

Suddenly, Nudge's wings popped out and the whole Flock had this big, huggy, reunion thing. I'm not big on hugs, but I gave Iggy and Gazzy man-hugs and let Angel and Nudge tackle me. Everyone was talking at once. Except me, of course.

"Fang and I are dating!" Max called out. Dead silence. Max blushed faintly and checked her watch. "Oh shoot. Fang and I have to go, I'm supposed to 'talk things out' with Sam very soon. Oh, Iggy, you coming?" Iggy shook his head.

"YOU GUYS ARE DATING? ZOMG, you're such a cute couple! Praise the gods, _finally, _I mean, it was so obvious you guys were meant for each other," Nudge babbled. Max grabbed my wrist and dragged me out the door.

I drove to the restaurant and followed Max in like the good boyfriend I am. Sam glowered at me when he spotted me. I returned the glare, causing him to flinch. Max rolled her eyes.

"Why'd you bring _him?"_ Sam asked, trying to keep the hatred out of his voice. He failed miserably.

"Sam, I only came here to talk," Max warned. We sat down. Sam's eyes flickered between us, trying to figure out our relationship. "I thought you were sweet, Sam, but you kept blowing me off for your 'meetings'. And you didn't trust me. It wasn't working out, you know that."

Sam looked devastated. "But, Max, I can be trusted. I swear, I quit the meetings. How can I prove it to you?" Max thought for a moment before a cold look settled on her face. There's the Max I know.

"I know you're teamed up with Dylan and Lissa, so tell us everything. Or else you'll never make it back to school." She looked at Sam murderously. Sam cowered, the wiener. He then proceeded to spill his guts to us.

"All I know is Dylan is in love with you, Max." Well, that's not a surprise. "And he wants to break you away from your friends, especially him." Sam pointed at me. "Dylan's hiding a secret, I know that much. A secret that concerns you, Max. That's all I know, I swear. The group was all Dylan's doing. He paid to bring Lissa to California, and he has this group of friends. My cousin and his roommate, Ratchet, is a part of this, and his girlfriend Kate. Plus Kate's best friend Star. Star likes to flirt with me." Sam rolled his eyes. "And there's one other person. I don't know who she is, Dylan likes to keep her hidden from the rest of us. She's his secret weapon, I think."

Max and I exchanged looks. "Has he been getting calls or emails from strange places?" Max asked carefully. "Like, say, Germany?" Sam blinked in utter surprise.

"Yes, he has. I heard a message on his phone, once. The caller had a heavy German accent. I think I remember what he said. '_Dylan, call me back when you get this. The Flock can beat the memory wipe, if something from their past triggers them. You must separate the Flock, immediately. Drive them against each other. Then, when the time is right, you can make Maximum yours.' _Or something along those lines." Sam didn't seem fazed by this message.

Max and I looked at each other. "Take us to Ratchet," we both said in unison.

**~~~~~~Firetruck yourself, I'm a line break!~~~~~~**

Max's POV

The boy in front of me was the same one I saw this morning. Was it really this morning? It feels a lifetime ago that I broke up with Sam and got my memories back. Anyways, the boy had headphones around his neck, sunglasses, a leather jacket, and boots, even though we were indoors.

He checked me out. I thought Sam said he had a girlfriend? He let out a low whistle. "Damn, you've got a nice body, girl," he said. "Sadly for you, I'm taken by my wonderful girlfriend Kate." Vain, arrogant. I wanted to smash his face in.

"I want you to tell me everything you can about Dylan," I said. Fang rested his chin on top of my head. Ratchet chuckled.

"Stalker much?" He sat down and so did we. Sam looked very uncomfortable. "Alright. Dylan Gunther-Hagen, from Arizona, former player and man-whore, with model-worthy looks. Never takes off his shirt in front of people, spends a lot of time on his laptop or phone, talking to some doctor with a heavy German accent.

"Also, he has an obsession with you, Max. He's always mentioning you during his phone calls. He got me, my cuz, my girl, my girl's gal, and this redhead supermodel in this little group. Dylan orders us around, asking about how to get revenge and stuff like that. We're supposed to be his little followers. Personally, I'm more of a loner, but hey, I'm surrounded by girls and Dylan, so it's cool.

"He got Sam to ask you out so you'd be apart from your little gang. You'd lose your friendship and then Dyl makes his move. Sick scheme, but Dylan's messed up. Kinda. But you guys _did _totally destroy his very. Very. Active social life." Ratchet took a deep breath and walked across the room to Dylan's laptop. He handed it to me. "Password's _Maximumguntherhagen, _no spaces, first letter capitalized.

"That's not creepy at all," I muttered, typing it in. The computer accepted the password and a message popped up.

_You've got mail from _Dr. Hans Gunther-Hagen. _Press SHIFT to open now. Press X to close this message. _I hit the shift button and Dylan's email appeared. I opened up all the messages from our good friend Dr. G-H.

"Fang, check this out." Fang silently read the email from _mynameisntmax , _his eyes widening. It read:

_Dylan~_

_Look, idiot. I'm only doing this for money, so don't get the idea I like this. Honestly, when does this ever work? Fang and Max are destined to be together, but since you and doc are SOBs, I have to do what you can't. Don't you have friends to do this kind of shit? I can't be the only one who can seduce Fang. And if you think Max is going to fall for your "charm", you need to get your head out of your ass, it's not a hat. (_**_A/N: PITCH PERFECT)_**_ You literally had seven months with the Flock, plus a month after the brainwashing. And what did you do after Max forgot you? You played tonsil hockey with hundreds of girls. And became a man-whore. Did the doc come up with your false player background? Last time I checked, you were whipped by Max. You seriously looked like a lost puppy dog. You would die for her, I know that. But would you hurt her, for your own gain? Just because you want her, doesn't mean she wants you. She'll never love you, not completely. Her heart will always have a special place for her first kiss, her first boyfriend who she never really broke up with. Dylan, your wants are going to kill us all, I'll tell you that. But, it isn't my decision. According to the doc, I'm your "secret weapon". So I have to work for you. All because of one stupid chip. If I had my way, I'd be living it up in Paris._

_~Maya (Max II, in case you've forgotten, bonehead)_

**I think I'm gonna leave you with that. I'm evil, sometimes. And very good at annoying people. I have a frenemy, uh, Sam, (let's pretend). One time, I was teasing her, and said "Guess how many people I annoyed today". She didn't miss a beat, "Everyone. Everyone in the entire world." It was a little past noon. New personal record. Anyways, Maya is Dylan's secret weapon! And he's using her to seduce Fang while he goes for Max. Just in case you didn't understand Maya's... kind email. Thanks for sticking with me. Yesterday I was just plain lazy. ~Hellisa (oops, almost put my actual name ;) )**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chp 12**

**Hey, it's almost winter break! One more week of school :P . At my awesome high school, all this week, it's messed-up schedule. I mean, this is our NORMAL schedule: Monday-7 periods, each one 50 or 55 min.; Tues: Odd block, periods 1, 3, 5, and 7, classes 95 min.; Wed: Even block, late start, periods 2, 4, and 6, classes 95 min. Thurs: 7 periods, each 45 min, plus 35 min tutorial (free time to do homework or hang out); Fri: Same as Monday.**

**This is our schedule for this week: Mon-Normal; Tues-Like a normal Monday; Wed- Like a normal Thurs.; Thurs- Like a normal Tuesday; Fri- Like a normal Weds. Get it? All of us are going crazy trying to remember it all.**

**Lucky for you all, I'm not going anywhere for winter break, so I'll be sitting here on my computer, typing away (or playing tower defense. Whichever.) So, here's chapter 12.**

Max's POV

_BANG. _The door flew open. Dylan walked in and saw me and Fang crouched over his laptop, Sam and Ratchet flipping through his phone (forgot to mention that before, I think). His face turned bright red with anger. Someone shoved him into the room. I saw who it was.

Aw, firetruck.

Fang's POV

I narrowed my eyes and stood up when I saw Max II, or Maya as she referred to herself as. Besides clothes, they looked very, very similar. Maya had a magenta streak in her hair, now, and fairer skin. She checked me out and then had a glare-off with Max. They started trading insults. Dylan started yelling at Ratchet and Sam.

"They made me, I swear!" Sam was whimpering. Ratchet was trying hard not to break his "cool" facade.

"Cool it!" I roared, effectively shutting them all up. Max shot Maya one last look of loathing before walking over to me. I wrapped an arm around her and let her speak. She was Flock leader, after all.

"Ratchet and Sam are totally innocent, Fang and I made them give us the password to your computer, Dylan. You guys might want to leave. Like, _now._" Sam and Ratchet nodded and left. With the door safely locked, Dylan rounded on us. Max held up a hand to stop him before he could snap at us. "Calm down. Have a seat. We'll explain everything." Dylan and Maya sat down, Dylan with notable reluctance. I noticed they weren't sitting near each other. I sat down on the couch, and surprisingly, Max sat on my lap. I didn't argue, just wrapped my arms around her waist.

"Okay. Let's not make this conversation awkward. We know what we knew." Dylan looked mystified. Maya just looked skeptical.

"Prove it." She smirked. "Tell me something about your past." I sat up and leaned forward a bit, so my chest was pressed into Max's back. She turned her head to me, frowning, but I shook my head at her.

"I can do better," I replied simply. I unfurled my pitch black wings, watching everyone's reactions. Max: startled, a bit irritated, and... was she drooling a bit over my awesome wings? Blackmail material. Maya: Satisfied, admiring, looking at me like I was prey. I shivered inside and looked over at Dylan. Dylan: Disbelief, anger, fury, shock, and jealousy?

Dylan jumped up, his eyes blazing. "Dr. Hans said you'd have your wings removed!" he screamed. "He said you'd never recover all your memories!" Maya stood up, pulling some gum casually from her pocket. She popped a a piece in her mouth and chewed.

"Chill, idiot. So they got their memories and wings back. Big deal. Go cry to your daddy, why don't you. It's not the end of the world. That's been taken care of, thanks to Jewel. (**A/N: I'm planning on writing a story with Jewel, my OC, in it. But it won't be related in any way to this story. Just saying.)** No, Dylan, things will be fine."

Dylan was hyperventilating, veins popping out of his neck. For a second, I got a vision of a whitecoat, who had the same expression, because Max was being her snarky self. Ah, memories.

Purely out of stress, Dylan's mud brown wings popped out. I examined them. In the month since we'd last seen him, they'd thinned a little from lack of use, but they were still the same. Unlike the Flock's, Dylan's wings were built for strength, not speed, so he was stronger than us, but slower. Slightly.

Max stood up, and I followed suit, her wings extended. I stood to her right and slightly behind. Max made signals with her fingers to me. I brushed my wing against hers, a brief touch, so she knew I understood. Discreetly, while Max and Maya were trying to make Dylan stop freaking out, I texted the rest of the Flock. I clicked my tongue softly. Max crossed the room to Maya.

"What do you want, you hate me," Maya said. Max nodded, then held out a hand.

"You were controlled by Erasers and whitecoats. I've heard about your chip. I'd like to help you. I know how much I hate being controlled." Max leaned against the door, unlocking it with a free hand. "I know a person who can take that chip out, if the whitecoats are using it against you."

Maya narrowed her eyes. "Why should I trust you?" she asked warily. "You despise me. I tried to take over your Flock, remember?" Unconsciously, I noticed her move a hand to her left forearm. That must be where the chip is. "Besides, I heard you got a chip removed and lost control of your hand."

Dylan was having a war with someone inside of his head, probably Hans, so I ignored him. I walked over to the two identical girls. "Peace. Maya, how does this chip work?" My eyes fell onto hers, the same brown eyes that Max had. Except, Max's were full of distrust and worry, while Maya's had a certain _openness _to them.

Maya sighed. "The chip was implanted after my failure in Germany. (**A/N: Saving The World And Other Extreme Sports and FANG are literally the two books I don't own in the series, so I don't remember all the details. So, sorry.)** They wanted me to be their slave. So they put this chip in me that hits me with an electrical shock every time I'm somewhat rebellious. They hope it'll whip me into shape, make me a goodie-goodie like spaz boy over there. But I've still got Max's defiance in me, her warrior instinct. I can't let myself bow down to whitecoats, be like the Erasers." Maya threw her head up, fire in her eyes. I'd seen it so many times in Max's eyes, yet in Maya's, they were that of sudden bravery, unknown strength that she possessed.

"I'll help you," Maya declared softly. "But Dylan can't know that, so..." With a freakishly fast left hook, she brought down an unsuspecting Max. I reached and caught her. She was unconscious. I set her down on the couch. Maya made sure I was looking at her before she planted her shoe in my chest. I fell backwards, catching myself before I crushed Max.

Dylan's POV

Fang snapped out his wings. I gaped. Dr. Hans removed them! It wasn't possible, Dr. Hans _never _made mistakes. I grew angry. Those damn scientists, they _lied _to me!

I jumped to my feet. "Dr. Hans said you'd have your wings removed!" I screamed. "He said you'd never recover all your memories!" My face was red, I was sure of it. If they had their wings and memories, they'd disappear. I would never win Max over. My wings popped out, due to the massive amount of stress I'm feeling right now.

Maya was so calm, it was infuriating. "Chill, idiot. So they got their memories and wings back. Big deal. Go cry to your daddy, why don't you. It's not the end of the world. That's been taken care of, thanks to Jewel. No, Dylan, things will be fine." Jewel. She was Max's _replacement._ Just the thought of the beautifully colored bird-kid made me feel better. Suddenly, I had a brain attack. I fell to the floor, clutching at my temples.

"_Dylan, you thought ill of your creator!" _bellowed my voice, also known as Dr. Hans messing with my mind. "_I do not make mistakes, Dylan. I am powerful. Powerful people watch and learn as weak people make mistakes for them. No, it is impossible for the Flock to have their wings. I personally oversaw their removal. You have made a mistake, Dylan. You are weak. Weak because of your purpose. Because of Max. I handed her to you on a silver platter, yet you still let her slip through your grasps. She wasn't even trying. I should have you retired," _Dr. Hans mocked. "_Don't even try to put up your mind blocks, you're too weak. You've had it up for months now. But I've broken through. This shows you are weaker than I thought. But, Dylan, I shall be merciful today."_

_"_What, going to let me sort things out instead of you?" I thought. I've had my mind blocks up a lot, I admit it. Honestly, who wants your creator giving you massive headaches in the middle of class?

"_They're not headaches, Dylan. If you'd learn to embrace this way of communicating, like Maximum did, this wouldn't give you brain attacks!"_ Dr. Hans tried to assume control, but I fought him off, like always. No way was I letting him totally into my head, where I'd never be able to block him. "_Dylan, you need me more than you think. I have priceless information to tell you, but I can only tell you at certain times! So I need access to you at all times, don't you understand, Dylan?"_ Again, Dr. Hans tried to enter my brain. Again, I pushed him away. I don't know why, but I felt if I let Dr. Hans be able to influence my decisions all the time, it wouldn't turn out well for either of us.

"_Dylan, trust me, when have I ever lied to you?" _Dr. Hans was trying another tactic. "_You know I can be trusted. I made you, Dylan, I am very powerful. I can get Max for you again, you just need to let go!"_

"When have you lied to me?" I thought hard. "Let me think. _NOW! _You told me they would never fly again, you told me they'd never regain their memories, and now they've done both. And also, powerful people _do _make mistakes. What happened to the Über-Director? Mr. Chu? Many powerful, powerful people have made horrible mistakes, and you're one of them.

_"Don't you EVER talk back to me again, you worthless failed experiment! You can't even get the girl to look at you with interest. Now, Dylan, let me show you who is in charge here!"_ This time, Dr. Hans' attack was so powerful, I blacked out. The last thing I could think of was of Max.

**I honestly have no idea where this story is going, so bear with me. R&R, please! ~Hellisa**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chp 13**

**Ooh, #13! I've been distracted writing a lemon, so sorry. It should be posted, if you like that kind of stuff. Okay, so some of you will hate me, but I'm tired of this story. So I'm ending it now, in the worst way possible. Actually, no. The worst way is brutally murdering the Flock, and I'm not doing that. But still. It's a crappy, quick ending written at night. And again, sorry it took so long, my Dad decided to take away my electronics because he thought I was being antisocial. :P**

**Onwards!**

Max's POV

I woke up a few minutes later, that damn clone of mine had knocked me out with one blow. I sat up and saw Fang talking to the Flock. Angel saw me and rushed over.

"Max!" She wrapped her arms around me and I hugged back quickly. "We came in and Fang was putting you on the couch, you were unconscious. And Dylan is, too." I looked over and saw Dylan slumped on the floor. What happened to him?

Sensing my thoughts, Fang strode over and knelt by me. "I don't know what happened to him. He knocked himself out while we were talking." I nodded and stood up. Maya was a little ways away from the Flock, obviously the outcast of the group. I nodded to her and she came over.

"What did Dylan want you to do?" I questioned. Maya looked away, scowling deeply.

A minute later, she finally answered. "He wanted me to seduce Fang, and it would tear you two apart. Then he'd move in and make you his girlfriend. He's the one who told Sam to flirt with you, to date you so Fang couldn't. He fed Sam lies about Fang, making him jealous and protective. Sam was being used by Dylan. The whole plan was to separate you and Fang, make you hate each other, and then Sam would break up with you. And guess who's there to comfort you? A remorseful Dylan, perfectly ready to forgive you for ruining his life. He'd be your rock, and then he'd make you love him. He'd take you home, to Arizona, and then make sure you'd never see the Flock again. You'd miss the friends you 'just met this year', but you'd survive. And then Dylan would lie to you, tell you how the Flock betrayed you, and show you his wings. You would believe him, and you'd live happily ever after while Jewel saved the world. You'd live in ignorance for the rest of your life. Dylan planned to teach you to hate the Flock, especially Fang." I stared hard into the eyes that matched mine perfectly. She was telling the truth. Fang was filling the others in on what we'd discovered.

"I can short out the chip," Angel said to me and Maya, walking over. "I couldn't when I was younger, but I think I'm strong enough now. If I could?" Angel motioned to Maya's arm. Maya wordlessly held up her left forearm, not questioning Angel's powers. She knew firsthand how powerful Angel could be.

Angel concentrated and stared intently at Maya's arm. A static sound could be heard and Maya suffered a bad electric charge. She fell to the ground, smoke curling up from her arm. Her face was stuck in a grimace and she struggled to her feet again.

"Did it work?" Angel asked, swaying slightly because she used her powers. A grin lit up Maya's eyes and she whipped out her phone.

"Let's find out," she suggested. Maya hit _call. _"Can I speak with Dr. Hans?" A pause. "_Maximum Ride, _clone, Subject 942," she growled, stating her identification. "Yes, Hansie?"

Even from a distance, I could hear Hans yell "It's Dr. Hans to you, Maximum Ride 2!" Maya fumed. I knew she hated being compared to me.

"Listen, _prick, _I've had enough of your bitching, so I called to tell you that your _toy _Dylan broke, and I quit!" Another shout, this one I couldn't make out the words. "Oh, you'll 'teach me a lesson', I see. Well, I'M NOT AFFECTED. Go firetruck yourself!" Maya forcefully hung up, a triumphant smile on her face.

"Firetruck, my head hurts," moaned Dylan, waking up. He winced.

Dylan's POV

I winced as Dr. Hans' voice boomed in my head. "_Dylan, beware treachery, trust no one," _he warned.

"How'd you get in my head?" I thought back, putting my mind blocks up. I heard his chuckle.

"_Dylan, Dylan, Dylan. I have implemented myself in your head, you cannot rid yourself of me now."_

"Firetruck!" I swore aloud. I realized the entire Flock was in the room. When they got there, I have no idea. I hopped up and folded up my wings. I don't remember extending them. "Everyone, out of my dorm!"

Max crossed her arms over her chest. My breathing still hitched when I looked at her, fierce, calm, defiant. I resent those damn whitecoats who just _had _to make me lust for Max, love her unconditionally, ect.

"Make us," Maya declared. I noticed her arm was smoking a little? Weird. I stood up, a little shaky on my feet. Angel stared at me.

_Please, leave, _I though feverishly. Too much was happening, I needed time. I stumbled out of my dorm and ran towards a nearby park.

Fang's POV

We watched Dylan trip out of the room, his eyes a bit crazed. Maya shook her head sadly.

"That poor bastard, Hans took over his brain like your Voice, Max," Maya explained. Max blinked in surprise.

"He's powerful enough to do that?" I snarled, putting a protective arm around Max. She didn't stop me.

"Jeb was powerful enough to have a little control on Max's Voice, I think Hans can infiltrate Dylan's weak brain." Maya sighed. "Listen, with Hans' influence, Dylan will go mad. It'll be like having an Eraser hang out with us all the time."

"That seems familiar," I muttered, and Max elbowed me in the ribs. "Hey!"

"ANYWAYS, lovebirds," Maya broke in. Max blushed a little. "You guys need to leave. Like, now. Pack up and go. Defeat Itex or whatever. Max, your mom's memory was taken too, right? Go fix her and your baby sis. I'll cover for all of you for a little. You can trust me." Maya held out a hand, not the smoking one, but her right one.

Max hesitated, and had a quick mind-chat with Angel, before taking Maya's hand. "Thank you," Max said quietly. Maya grinned.

"You guys belong together, you know!" Maya advised while pushing us out of the dorm. We all rushed to our dorms and packed necessities.

"Sure as hell didn't miss doing this," Iggy grumbled as he loaded up his backpack. "We've had our memories back for one day and now we're back on the run. When will this end?"

"Get used to it, blind boy," I replied simply, counting the cash in my wallet. Almost $200. Good. "Let's roll, meeting by my car."

Before I knew it, the six of us were flying into the fading daylight, using our rediscovered wings for the first time in a month. Max smiled at me, looking free, wind blowing her long hair back. I veered closer to her and took her hand. I could hear Nudge's audible gasp when I did so.

Just imagine six birdkids with backpacks, two younger blondes, one pale, strawberry blonde, one African-American, one dark-haired, and the leader with dirty blonde hair. All of us were flying off into the sunset.

We looked like freaking _poetry._

**Yay for my shitty ending. Honestly. :P Hate all you want. I don't care. Onwards to my next story, which hopefully won't end like that. Right, so thanks for reading and shit, peace out. ~Hellisa**


	14. Chapter 14

**Guys, this isn't a new chapter, since the story's over, but what do you think I should do for my next story? I have a few ideas, so if you could vote by reviewing, that'd be great.**

**#1:**_ Maximum is a pop singer- until one night. Now she's quit show biz and living in Arizona, swearing to never sing for anyone again. Can a weird group of friends get Max to open up about her past?_

**#2: **_Fang is captured and proclaimed dead by Ari. 2 years later, the Flock is being hunted by a new mutant, stronger and smarter than the Erasers. He goes by Shadow..._

**#3: **_Fang was injected with something that made his personality totally different. Now he lives in Virginia, goes by Nicholas, and is the celebrity and player of the school. Max wants to change him back. There's got to be a little bit of the old Fang left, right?_

**#4:**_ Maximum Martinez is a reporter for _The Birdseye View, _a_ _local newspaper. She has to do a story on some models. She ends up getting sucked into their lives, joining the agency and meeting dark Fang, arrogant Dylan, and others._

**#5: **_Max goes out clubbing with her friends Nudge and Lissa. She meets Lissa's tall, dark boyfriend, who just so happens to be someone from Max's past. Sparks fly as old friends are reunited, but the thing is, Lissa doesn't like to share._

**Obviously, they're all FAX, sorry sax-ers and mylan-ers (and other shippers?) So tell me which one I should focus on and I'll do my best. Thanks! ~Hellisa**


	15. Chapter 15

**Well, firetruck. We have a tie! Here are the results, 8 days after I posted the poll.**

**#1: 5**

**#2: 0**

**#3: 1**

**#4: 5**

**#5: 2**

**As you can see, I cannot decide between #1 and #4. Maximum Pop Star or Hawk Modeling Agency. Interesting. So, the first three people to vote I will listen to. Majority rules, ya know. I'll keep you updated. Go back to the last chp if you don't know the summaries. Thanks, love ya all. ~Hellisa**


	16. Chapter 16

**OK-**

**Thanks, apparently people like #4 best. Which is the modeling one. I guess I'll do that one, since I've been threatened by a flesh-eating fish... I have no preference. I hope I don't screw this up. Thanks for reviewing! First chap should be up in a couple weeks because I'm lazy and have a project in bio. ~Hellisa**


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